Whole Wheat Vegan Waffles

The first time I tried vegan waffles, they ended up crusted and burnt to the sides of the waffle iron. But Desi, my hubby, loves waffles so much, I had no intentions of giving up. I modified the recipe and added some applesauce, which resulted in these perfect waffles last Sunday. Even Desi, who is still getting around to the idea of vegan food, had to agree that they tasted far better than the egg-and-milk versions of the past. Yippie.

I want to take a moment here to sing the praises of whole wheat pastry flour which I substitute in almost every recipe that calls for all-purpose flour. Since I discovered it, I have been addicted. It produces a nuttier, richer flavor that enhances any baked goodie, and, being made from a whole grain, is much healthier for you too. Flax seeds and applesauce are two other ingredients that have greatly improved my vegan baking efforts, both tastewise and nutritionally.

So there, now all my secrets are out. Hope you have as much fun making and eating these as we did.

I recently acquired a waffle iron after years of hankering and started making GF waffles. Had excellent luck till I tried fermenting the batter overnight. And then they stuck and I spent an hour cleaning the iron. I used the remaining mixture to make pancakes, and in a greased cast-iron pan they cooked just fine and could be flipped easily.

To the commenter who had no joy making her pancakes GF and egg free, I can only suggest trying out different recipes and if possible always cook them in a greased cast-iron frypan. (Spray-on oil works well on the cast iron)

If you want them to be lighter, try adding a bit more raising agent and using a GF flour mix which is a mix of 1/2 starches and 1/2 flours and has some good binding agents such as guar gum (or xanthum) and egg replacers. Using soaked ground flax seed will make them heavier though they’ll hold together well. I prefer to make up my own GF flour mixes rather than purchase commercial readymade. There are some very good recipes for GF flour mixes…. worth Googling for.

This was delicious! My daughter is vegan and my sons not, so I’ve been searching for a recipe that would please all. This one definitely lived up to its promise. (I didn’t have pastry flour so I substituted for 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 bread flour.)YUMM!

Depends on the size of your waffle-maker. If you use the regular-sized waffle-maker that makes two square four-inch waffles, it’d make around 10. If you used a Belgian waffle maker that makes thick waffles, you’d get around six or eight at best.

Hi Prema, you can mash up bananas and use instead– use the same quantity as the applesauce. In fact, any fruit puree might work, but they will also add their own flavor to the waffles. Banana waffles would taste great. Cheers.

Hi Vaishali..We r a pure vegetarian. Today i saw ur website and was very happy. I will try ur recipes for sure. I have a doubt. I have 3 yr old daughter and she loves pancakes. Iam not sure whether i can give her baking powder or baking soda. Is there any substitue for that? Thanks in advance. Keep going

Hi Lakshmi, welcome to Holy Cow! I know baking soda in large quantities can be toxic to toddlers, and there isn’t a whole lot in these waffles once you divide it among the various servings, but even so, this is not something I can safely advise on since I’m not an expert. As for a substitute, I am not aware of anything that can replace these ingredients and have the same leavening effect, but you could just leave it out? The waffles will likely be dense though. Another possibility is to use yeast, in a recipe like this one. Leave out the baking soda. http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016179-simple-yeasted-waffles

Hi Pranitha, the applesauce makes the waffles tender, which is great. If it helps, you can’t taste the fruit at all. You might substitute with an equal amount of vegan yogurt if you’d rather not use it.